LUCY
by little old lady
Summary: Lucy thought she knew her family but a letter arrived to change her life! I don't want much but PPPPPleeease could I have 1 review!
1. chapter 1

Disclaimer, I'm only going to put this once! I don't own HP or his magical world.  
  
Sorry about the lack of formatting before, I have tried to fix it a bit! Thanks for reading and hopefully reviewing!  
  
CHAPTER ONE  
  
Lucy burst through the living room door, her long blonde pigtails streaming behind her, laughing she showed her parents a letter. On heavy parchment paper in green writing, it said "Dear Miss Smith, you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of witch craft and wizardry. can you believe this? Jade must have been really bored to come up with something this whacked!" Lucy's bright blue eye's sparkling with mirth; with dimples deep set in her cheeks she had the look of a cherub.  
  
Surprisingly though her parents looked at each other then at her with strangely serious expressions. "What's wrong?" Lucy asked, "You look as though you've both seen a ghost". She looked from one to the other. Eventually her father said "Lucy dear it wasn't Jade who sent you that letter, it was probably Professor McGonagall, if she's still there." Lucy glanced down at the letter to check the signature and quickly looked back at her father before saying with a nervous laugh "Oh dad you nearly had me there, you sent the letter didn't you?"  
  
"No sweetie, it is real, in fact I went there when I was your age"  
  
"But dad. wizards? witches? It can't be a very good school then, because you're not a wizard" Lucy looked to her silent Mother hoping for some kind of explanation.  
  
"Well for a long time I didn't know either and then I just didn't believe it but after we had you I couldn't ignore it any more" replied her mother quietly.  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Yes, when you were a baby a few odd things started to happen" her mother smiled as if remembering "You were very small and afraid of the dark but no matter how many nights I turned off your room light It was always on in the morning and you were too little to reach it to do it yourself!"  
  
Lucy still looked doubtful as her mother continued "remember Tommy Burns in your school? What happened to him when he teased you about your second hand clothes?"  
  
"But Mum you said you believed me that I couldn't have ripped the leg off his trouser from the other end of the playground!"  
  
Suddenly her Dad stood up and left the room returning after a few minutes with a black briefcase which he opened on the table lifting the bottom of it out to reveal a secret compartment, from which he drew out an old looking piece of wood, looking from his wife to his daughter he lifted it in his hand and muttered "orchideous" suddenly a huge bunch of red roses appeared out of the end of it stunning Lucy and bringing a pensive smile to her mother face. Lucy flopped down on the nearest chair with a look of utter disbelief on her face.  
  
Her father proceeded to tell her the most amazing tale she had ever heard, that her dad was not, as she had always thought, Desmond Smith, "Des" for short, but Diogenes Hipworth the only surviving member of a long line of powerful wizards who could trace their ancestry back a thousand years or more! He had once been a respected Aurora in the Ministry of Magic but had gone into hiding during a very dangerous period of the magical community's history when around twenty years ago a terrible Dark Wizard had killed of the rest of his family and a great number of his friends!  
  
After he met her mother and married he had never used magic for the fear of revealing himself to anyone as they all assumed he had been killed, only when Lucy herself started to show signs that she too had powers had he returned to the magical world in disguise to see how things where.  
  
Now Lucy was expected to choose, would she go to a normal high school with her friends. With her family struggling to make ends meet or would they all move into a new world with such amazing possibilities that she wasn't sure she truly believed it? Lucy went out into the garden and stared unseeingly at the busy street outside the house, trying to take it all in. Hours later she returned to find her parents talking in almost whispers about the past.  
  
"I think I would like to see your world Dad, if that's possible?"  
  
"Your Mother and I were talking and we thought it might be a good idea, so we are going to go to London tomorrow and once your there you can decide what you want to do, we can send a reply to the school from there, okay?" her Dad smiled.  
  
"Can we afford it?" asked Lucy "I mean it can't be cheap for us to go and then do you pay for this school I suppose the government don't pay for it, do they?"  
  
"Actually I have money there, but if I had used it before everyone would have know I was still alive!" her dad smiled sadly at her.  
  
"Dad, are you sure it's safe though, what if the evil wizard is still there?"  
  
"Well, he vanished a few years ago so I'd say it's safe." Trying to sleep that night was impossible so Lucy lay awake; thinking about all that she had learned that day, knowing her life would never be the same again, eventually deciding that this was not such a bad thing.  
  
The next day they set off early for the long train journey to London. Lucy was almost bouncing in her seat in excitement she barely registered the worried look on her father's face and the way her parents were holding hands tightly under the table.  
  
Eventually in the early afternoon they got off the train and made their way to a very dreary looking pub which her dad had to point out to them called "the leaky cauldron." Inside the pub was even darker than the outside, as Lucy stared at the other patrons in stunned disbelief she heard the bar man talking to her father "Ah your daughter going to Hogwarts?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Well if you'd like to follow me I can explain how to get in to Diagon alley to buy her school supplies"  
  
"Actually that's okay I remember how"  
  
"Oh I do apologise I thought you were muggles, I don't recognize you" the barman was now staring hard at Lucy's father, as though trying to remember his face. However her father didn't satisfy his curiosity, he led them to an alley behind the pub, took out his wand and taped the bricks which sprang to life and moved to create an archway in the wall, through which Lucy and her mother peered through cautiously.  
  
As they stepped through the opening Lucy truly believed they had moved into another world. 


	2. chapter 2

CHAPTER 2  
  
"Right, first stop Gringotts Bank, Let's hope they haven't given away all my money" Des said smiling to his wife. On the way there Lucy listened with one ear to her Father explaining about the shops and people they were passing as she tried to look in a hundred directions at once to see everything. Ollivander's wand makers, Flourish and Blott's the book shop Madam Malkin's robes for all occasions, the list went on and got more bizarre as they walked.  
  
Des left them to go to the bank and when he returned looking windswept he led them to Fortiscue's a café of sorts where they ate Ice cream and discussed the passers by.  
  
"Well Lucy, what do you think?" he asked.  
  
Lucy knew the moment had come, all their futures would be affected by her decision, "Um I'm not going to grow a huge pointy nose and boils if I go to this school am I?" Lucy laughed nervously, "Only I notice a lot of the women or witches are a bit...well you know.odd looking".  
  
Her father laughed "No Lucy you will still be your beautiful self, trust me, after all I don't have boils do I? You know, you can always come home if you hate it. But I have a feeling that once your there we'll be lucky to see you at holidays, you might not want to leave"  
  
Lucy looked at her mother then her father and said quietly "okay I'll give it a try."  
  
This was all her father was waiting for, in a flurry of activity they had sent an owl with a letter to Hogwarts, bought robes, books, potions ingredient, which Lucy hoped fervently she would never have to actually drink, their last stop was the wand makers.  
  
As they stepped into Ollivander's, Lucy felt as though she had gone back in time, the shop seemed very old and dusty with hundreds of slim boxes piled haphazardly on shelves that reached right up to the ceiling.  
  
An old man popped up from behind the counter and stared at her father in disbelief. "But it can't be. Diogenes Hipworth .we thought you were dead." He said in a quiet voice, then without waiting for an answer he transferred his attention to Lucy. "Well step forward dear I have to measure you."  
  
Lucy stepped forward nervously and jumped as a tape measure started to measure her on its own. Feeling like she shouldn't really be amazed at anything anymore she failed to notice that Mr Ollivander had snatched the tape away and was handing her a box.  
  
"Let's try this one Ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches" he waited for Lucy to do something, Lucy looked at her father who made a little flicking movement at her so she copied him and nothing happened. "No.well how about this one, mahogany nine inches with a dragon heartstring."  
  
Lucy took this one but before she could move it at all she felt a warm sensation tingling up her arm, when she turned to look at her father questioningly, sparks flew out the end of her wand and she almost dropped it in surprise.  
  
Rather than being concerned, her father looked pleased and Mr Ollivander let out a little Ha! "Just like your father dear, I expect you will prove very talented at transfigurations. It was a pleasure to see you again Mr Hipworth."  
  
As her dad paid for the wand with more of the strange looking coins he had gotten at Gringotts, Lucy admired her latest gift which as far as she was concerned was the most beautiful piece of wood in the world.  
  
Exhausted Lucy sat between her parents and was soon lulled to sleep by the motion of the train carrying them back home.  
  
The next morning Lucy was half sure she would open her eyes and her bedroom would not have changed a bit, there would be no bright red leather trunk at the end of her bed filled with strange books and even stranger jars of gooey things.  
  
Slowly she opened her eyes and was amazed to see her wand was still on her bed side table and her trunk still at the end of her bed. She jumped out of bed and dived into the drunk rediscovering her books, trying to decide which to read first. Half an hour later she settled for One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, maybe it would explain why she needed all the icky stuff for potions. Lucy heard her mother call her down to breakfast and went slowly with her nose still in her book. . "Good morning angel, did you sleep well?" asked her mother.  
  
"Mmhhmm."  
  
"Are you enjoying that book?" smiled her father.  
  
"Mmhhmm."  
  
"Would you like some eye of newt for breakfast?" enquired her mother politely.  
  
"Mmhhmm.no, err what?" said Lucy finally looking up to see her parents laughing together. "Sorry, but this is very interesting. How much should we have learned before we go Dad?"  
  
"Well all the lessons start at the basics because there are a some muggle born children in every year" he said "but with your memory if you read all your books once, then you should be well ahead of most of the others, including the wizarding children."  
  
"Dad, do you reckon my memory is anything to do with magic?" asked Lucy interestedly.  
  
"Well no actually I think that's just natural talent that allows you to memorize things so quickly, it's not a magic talent that I've ever heard of." her father replied.  
  
"Right" said her mother "breakfast first, magic later."  
  
The family enjoyed their breakfast and after it Lucy started to read through her school books and with her fathers help she even understood some of it. The next few weeks followed the same pattern and by the time September 1st came Lucy felt, although nervous, ready to go to school.  
  
Once again she travelled with her parent to Kings Cross station in London, to pass though a wall on to the Hogwarts train. Lucy's mother kissed her and whispered "do take care and write to us often and if you have any problems Daddy said Professor McGonagall is a very good person to talk to. Alright?"  
  
"Yes Mum, I love you and I'm going to miss you so much" Lucy answered now close to tears as well. Her dad led her into the station, stopping between platforms nine and ten. He took one of Lucy's hands in his and the trolley in the other a walked quickly towards a solid wall, Lucy looked up at him in alarm as the neared the wall, then instead of crashing in to it, they passed right through it!  
  
Lucy turned to stare at the beautiful red steam engine on platform 9 ¾ the sign read Hogwart's express. Des helped Lucy on to the train and into a compartment then he gave her a little velvet pouch with the heavy wizards gold inside, kissed her and said "Darling I know your scared but you really will have the time of your life you know, once you stop being home sick. Mum and I will be waiting for you first letter okay" he smiled at her and squeezed her hand tightly before he returned to the platform. He waited until the train pulled out of the station and the disappeared from view. 


	3. chapter 3

CHAPTER 3  
  
Lucy sat for awhile staring out at the scenery when the compartment door opened and a girl with light brown hair and a mischievous grin popped her head through the door.  
  
"Do you mind if I join you?" throwing herself on one of the chairs "only everywhere else is full and they all seem to know each other."  
  
As Lucy nodded the girl added "my name is Andrea, what's yours?"  
  
"Lucy, I'm glad you came in I was getting a bit lonely in here."  
  
"So where are you from, your accent sounds a bit funny," Andrea laughed nervously "What I mean is that it's nice," she added quickly.  
  
Lucy smiled as she answered "We live in Edinburgh, my Mum's from there but my Dad is from London."  
  
"Cool."  
  
The girls chatted for awhile until an older woman stopped with a trolley filled with unusual looking sweets and drinks. Lucy bought some pumpkin pastries and orange juice, and then she spotted chocolate frogs and bought two of them as well. Andrea bought something called Bertie Bott's Every- Flavour beans and some pumpkin juice and two cauldron cakes.  
  
They spent the next hour daring each other to try the strange coloured beans tasting things like cabbage, spinach and one that smelled like old socks. When they opened the chocolate frogs they each were rewarded with a card with a moving picture of a famous witch on it. Lucy was fascinated with it though Andrea threw hers aside almost immediately.  
  
It was soon dark outside and an older student wearing a prefects badge opened the door and told them to put their robes on and pack up their belonging but leave them on the train, they would be sent to the castle separately.  
  
They got off the train and heard a voice calling "First years this way." Lucy looked up at the man; he was twice as tall as a normal man and had long straggly black hair, a beard so bushy that all you could see were his shinny black eyes. He led them to a fleet of little boats and told them to get in "Four in each one please."  
  
A little squeak escaped from Lucy as they started to move without any one doing anything. They sailed gently along under a bridge then came to a stop outside the biggest castle Lucy had ever seen in her life, even bigger and grander than Edinburgh castle. The man led them up a wide flight of stone steps into a huge entrance hall were they were greeted by a stern looking woman in robes.  
  
"My name is Professor McGonagall. Welcome to Hogwarts. In a moment you will be led into the great hall to join the rest of the school. First you will be sorted into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. While you are here you will live with the rest of your house and your achievements will earn your house points, any rule breaking will lose your house points and will result in detentions. Now if you'll follow me we will begin the sorting."  
  
The first years timidly followed her into a huge hall with a ceiling that resembled the cloudy sky outside. Four long tables ran the length of the room with huge banners hanging above them and candles floating gentle above the student's heads. They stopped collectively in front of a fifth table where the teachers were sitting along side a very old wizard with long white hair, and a beard that disappeared under the table.  
  
There was a three legged stool with an old hat perched on top of it. A rip near the brim opened and the hat began to sing; Lucy's knees were knocking so loudly she couldn't even hear the hat, she snapped back to attention when the hall burst out in applause.  
  
Professor McGonagall opened a roll of parchment in her hand and read out the name "Craig Albion". A small scared looking boy stepped up to the stool and placed the hat on his head, after a few moments the hat shouted "Gryffindor" Craig moved over to the table of Gryffindor students looking very relieved and sat down.  
  
The list of names went on and on before Lucy finally heard "Lucy Smith" nervously she went forward to have the hat placed on her head. Suddenly she could hear a strange voice inside her head; "Ah lets see not Smith no, another Hipworth, yes, but where to put you? Very bright; loads of talent, Gryffindor? No, I know" then it shouted aloud "Ravenclaw!" Lucy jumped down from the stool and made her way to the Ravenclaw table, sinking into her seat, smiling shyly at the rest of her housemates.  
  
The rest of the announcements and the meal seemed to pass in a bit of a blur for Lucy but she did notice Andrea was sitting along from her on the Ravenclaw table chatting with some of the older students.  
  
Lucy started to feel sleepy after the wonderful feast which had appeared magically on the plates in front of them, and she got up with everyone else when she heard Dumbledore announce that it was time for bed. They followed the prefects to their common room and were shown to their dormitories. There were four other girls sharing a room with Lucy. Andrea Sutton whom she had met on the train, Carina Osteen a tall thin red head with a friendly face, Julie Quicksilver a small dark haired girl with a frown and Elisabeth Corner who informed them, quite snootily that she only answered to the name Lisa and her older brother was a prefect in Ravenclaw. 


	4. chapter 4

CHAPTER 4  
  
Lucy sat in the courtyard one sunny Saturday afternoon, having finished her homework she decided to write to her parents.  
  
Dear Mum and Dad,  
How are you, I miss you but Dad was right. I am starting  
to really enjoy my lessons now. Well most of them anyway.  
Mum you wouldn't believe our History teacher, he's a  
GHOST!! It's really creepy he floats about the class all  
see through and drones on and on. But the subject is  
pretty easy so I don't have to pay too much attention to  
him. Then there's the Potions master, on the first day he  
stormed into the class so suddenly that I dropped my  
Quill under the table, and when I had picked it up. He  
was standing over me, asking me questions about the  
"Magical herbs" book. But instead of being pleased that I  
knew the right answers he just turned to some one else  
and fired questions at them! Anyway you were right about  
Professor McGonagall, I like her a lot and she is very  
nice to me. So is Professor Flitwick, though it was hard  
to take him seriously at first he is so tiny and always  
so posh! Miss Smith he calls me! Anyway we have our first  
flying lessons next week but I don't think I'm looking  
forward to that, I mean how can a skinny little  
broomstick hold a persons weight? The defence against the  
dark arts teacher is a grumpy old wizard called Professor  
Hunt; he gave me into trouble for reading too quickly! As  
though it matters what speed I read at! All the girls I  
share with are good fun, so I'll write to you soon.  
Bye love from  
Lucy  
  
Several of the students had also noticed how quickly Lucy read and how she seemed to remember everything she read. Her friends now asked her to check their homework and some of the older students tried to find out if she had cast a spell on her memory somehow.  
  
At Lucy's old school this had made her very unpopular, she had been teased and called lots of unkind names, but at Hogwarts people seemed ready to accept the unusual, so much about the students and the teachers was unusual or even down right bizarre!  
  
Lucy's favourite class was transfigurations, unlike some of her fellow students she liked Professor McGonagall (and had even heard that she could turn into a cat!)  
  
The class had now started to transform things and Lucy was very excited when the piece of straw she had, changed into a sharp silver needle, the Professor had been so pleased with her she had given Ravenclaw 5 points.  
  
As the lessons proceeded Lucy began to show a natural talent for transfigurations and was advancing quickly ahead of the rest of her class. After one particularly difficult lesson when she had been the only one in the class to transform a piece of wood into a small trinket box, the carved lid being so pretty that the Professor had called the classes attention to it, she called for Lucy to stay behind.  
  
"You know, you really have a natural ability for this class Miss Smith, I was wondering if anyone else in your family had been to Hogwarts?"  
  
"Well actually my father came hear when he was my age, but I only just found out about it when I got my letter, I didn't even know he was a wizard." Lucy answered embarrassed.  
  
"You didn't know he was a wizard?" Professor McGonagall looked puzzled.  
  
"Yes, he told me that he decided to leave this world and never use magic again after his family was murdered by an evil wizard twenty years ago."  
  
Professor McGonagall suddenly looked intrigued as she asked "What is your father's name?"  
  
"Diogenes Hipworth."  
  
"Des Hipworth is still alive.oh my word, but this is excellent news we thought him dead. Wait until Professor Dumbledore hears he will be thrilled."  
  
Lucy wasn't sure how to answer this, she didn't know if her father was ready to tell the world of his deception all those years ago.  
  
"My goodness, of course I can see the resemblance now, I don't know how I could have missed it and he was also a very gifted student," the Professor carried on, almost ignoring the fact that Lucy was still in the room, then it seemed she remembered and added briskly sounding more like her usual self "You should hurry along to dinner now Miss Smith, I wouldn't want you to miss it."  
  
When Lucy arrived down in the great hall for dinner, she noticed Professor McGonagall deep in conversation with Professors Flitwick, Sprout and Dumbledore, Dumbledore seemed to be the only one not glancing at her excitedly and Lucy had the feeling that the wise old wizard had already worked out her secret.  
  
After dinner that night she went with Andrea back to the library. While Andrea struggled with her homework Lucy looked through the shelves for some books on what had actually happened all those years ago.  
  
As soon as she began to read she knew why her father had not told her the details of what had happened. Lucy knew it was useless to hope she would forget the details, and even more hopeless to wish she would not see those ghastly pictures of Lord Voldemort in her dreams for a long time to come.  
  
Lucy stared for a long time at the picture of the house in Godric's hollow, where a few years ago, he had finally met his match in the boy called Harry Potter.  
  
The next night Lucy started to look up defence spells and charms in the library some of them were very complex and she wasn't so sure she would have been able to master them even if she wanted to. But it fast became an obsession, as though knowing the spells would somehow relieve her nightmares.  
  
She came to understand why her father had given up magic and left his world to protect his new wife then later their baby.  
  
Life in the castle bustled along and it seemed as though time was flying past. Suddenly autumn fell into winter and the corridors of the school were so cold that the students had to run between lessons. During one particularly boring potions lesson, when yet again Lucy was told off for giggling with Andrea, Snape had given them both detentions.  
  
Complaining of the unfairness of it all the girls made their way back to Ravenclaw tower, when half way up the stairs the heard a blood curdling scream behind them.  
  
Turning instinctively they ran together back down the stairs pausing at the bottom, "which way now?" gasped Lucy.  
  
Andrea was staring over the banister to try and find the source of the scream. "Don't know, I can't see anything" Andrea relied.  
  
A few seconds later they saw a 7th year Slytherin appear from a corridor to their right.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Lucy demanded.  
  
"What? That stupid poltergeist Peeves?" said the boy coldly.  
  
"Oh is that what it was?" answered Lucy.  
  
Without another word he continued down the stairs. Lucy and Andrea looked at each other smiling slightly; "I guess it was a false alarm" laughed Andrea. "Yes" smiled Lucy, not totally convinced, "What's down that corridor anyway?" she added. Andrea shrugged turning to go back up the stairs, when Lucy grabbed her arm and pulled her off down the unknown corridor.  
  
"Where are we going? We're going to miss dinner!"  
  
"Just two minutes, I want to see what down here." Lucy replied.  
  
They continued down the dark passage until they realised that no-one else was about and the only light seemed to be coming from a room up ahead of them. They stopped outside a door slightly ajar and peered first at each other then as they were about to look to see what was inside they heard a loud voice.  
  
"Oi you two don't belong down here, get on with you now." Filch the caretaker was standing at the far end of the corridor looking as mean as ever.  
  
The girls quickly ran back up the passage and passed the caretaker who muttered "Bloody students always up to no good." He shuffled off and left them perplexed.  
  
"Why are we not supposed to go down that passage?" Lucy wondered aloud, "I mean no-one ever told us about it did they?"  
  
"Don't know" answered Andrea, "But if we're not allowed what was that boy doing down there in the first place, and did Peeves really make that horrible sound?"  
  
Still thinking about this they put their book bags in the tower then headed down to dinner. 


	5. chapter 5

CHAPTER 5  
  
The girls' detention was separate, Lucy was to scrub the bed-pans in the hospital ward without the use of magic and Andrea's was to polish the school trophies. They both returned to Ravenclaw tower late that night and Lucy stayed up with Andrea until well after mid-night helping her to finish her homework.  
  
The next morning on their way down to breakfast they passed the corridor that they had visited the day before but surprisingly there was no corridor there, only a mounted suit of armour.  
  
"How is that possible, we walked through that way yesterday," exclaimed Lucy.  
  
"Maybe it's a secret passage or one that you can only see at a certain time of the day" answered Andrea, with a look of intrigue. "You know we have to go back now, or I'll die of curiosity."  
  
"Well they say that Hogwarts is full of places like that" pondered Lucy, "And I do want to know what that boy was up to. Let's go tonight after dinner."  
  
Lucy felt a quiet excitement building throughout the day it sustained her through defence against the dark arts, where she studiously now turned her pages at the same time as Lisa who sat in front of her. It meant 10 minutes staring at the same page while she waited for Lisa to catch up, but it was better than having Hunt growl at her again.  
  
Later that evening they tried to look casual as they reached the place where the passage had been the night before. As they stood staring at the statue wondering how to make the corridor reappear, suddenly and soundlessly the armour vanished and the end of a corridor appeared. Silently they both moved down it until the reached a door, now closed and when Andrea tried it, they discovered it was locked.  
  
"Alohomora" whispered Lucy and the door swung open, they entered the dark room and Lucy whispered "Lumos", a small light appeared at the end of her wand, which she held above her head to light the room.  
  
The girls looked around the room then at each other disappointedly, the room was empty. "Nox" whispered Lucy to put out the light from her wand, they stepped back out the room and hurried out of the passageway.  
  
As they climbed the stairs to Ravenclaw tower Andrea said in disappointment "What a let down there was absolutely nothing there! What's the point of a secret passage that doesn't go anywhere?"  
  
"We're missing something! There must be something there, otherwise what's the point and what was that Slytherin doing. Come to that where was the light coming from; there were no torches in the room?" Lucy muttered almost to herself.  
  
"How do you know those spell by the way? Are you from a wizarding family?" asked Andrea.  
  
"It's a long story, but no I read about them when we were in the library the other night." Lucy replied.  
  
They settled by the fire in the common room. Lucy told Andrea of her family history. They eventually got round to analysing their failed adventure. As they spoke about it an idea came to Lucy "maybe whatever is in that room is hidden the same way the passage is, maybe you have to know what it is before you can see it or you need to cast a spell to reveal it!"  
  
Andrea showed renewed excitement at this idea, maybe their adventure had not reached a dead end after all. The girls agreed to search the library for information on Hogwarts hidden passages and chambers. That said they settled down to finish their homework, Lucy as usual finished first and helped Andrea.  
  
Over the next few days they spent a lot of time in the library looking for clues and coming up empty. Before they knew it, the Christmas holidays had arrived.  
  
Lucy packed all her belongings in to her trunk and went down to the great hall for breakfast. The girls quickly ate their breakfasts and got ready to go and catch the train home for the holidays.  
  
It was a happy train journey home as the students were in high spirits, they played exploding snap and sang slightly rude Christmas songs all the way back. Lucy disembarked to find her father waiting for her alone in the station.  
  
"Hi, where's Mum?" Lucy hugged her father.  
  
"She had to work today, but she'll be home by the time we get back." her father smiled in reply.  
  
"When is the train? I don't think I can sit for another 5 hours." Lucy asked.  
  
"Actually we're not going by train, we're going by floo powder, come on I'll explain on the way." Replied, her father.  
  
A slightly grubby Lucy tumbled from the fire place in the living room of the family home half an hour later, coughing from the dust. "Oh my goodness" exclaimed her mother as she moved forward to hug her.  
  
"It's awful isn't it" she said, laughing, "Daddy brought me home from the Leaky Cauldron the last time!"  
  
Lucy nodded her agreement holding her mother tightly as her father appeared behind them, though he had managed not to fall face first out of the fireplace like Lucy had.  
  
Over dinner that night she told them all about her lessons and life in the strange castle, then she tentatively told her father about Professor McGonagall and how she had told her about her father's real name. "It's all right sweetie Professor Dumbledore sent me an owl the first week you arrived in the school asking me if I wanted the world to know I was still alive."  
  
Lucy looked stunned "But how did he know?"  
  
"Well not much gets past Dumbledore, I asked him to give some more time to think about it." Des paused as though deciding how best to say the next part.  
  
"I didn't just decide to leave, I was so badly injured that I didn't know who I was when I woke up in a muggle hospital. I was there for several weeks before it started to come back to me. I could remember my name was Des that's how I ended up with papers calling me Desmond; it was the most likely name they could think of that would be shortened to Des. At first I remembered things so bizarre that the nurses thought I might be permanently brain damaged! That's how I met your mother she was a psychology student in the hospital. Eventually I was released and I started to remember, though I didn't talk about it, I didn't feel I could face the truth. So I started to make a new life here with your mother." As he paused for breath Lucy glanced at her mother, who was smiling at him.  
  
"There was one more thing in Dumbledore's letter he wanted me to discuss with you Lucy." Des said changing the subject. "He thinks that you should do 2nd year classes when you go back. He says he is concerned that you will become bored if not challenged enough. And I agree with him. What do you say; will we go to Diagon Alley for the books and have a look through them?"  
  
Lucy looked shocked then slowly she nodded her head. "Will I still sit exams with my class mates at the end of the year?"  
  
"Actually Dumbledore says you will sit first and second year exams at the end of the year"  
  
"Cool, I've read some of their text books and they look much more interesting than ours!"  
  
"That my girl!" laughed her father. 


	6. chapter 6

CHAPTER 6  
  
By the time Lucy went back to school she had read all the second year books and was ready to start a new timetable.  
  
Quite a few of the 2nd years didn't seem too pleased to have a 1st year in their lessons with them, especially one who could master most spell quicker than they could.  
  
But the only teachers who seemed to have a problem with her were Hunt, who set her a test on all the 1st year assignments at her first lesson, and a test on all the work the 2nd years had covered before Christmas.  
  
Only when Lucy achieved high marks on both did he seem satisfied. Professor Snape, who had disliked Lucy the moment she stepped into his class, seemed even more annoyed with her now. He set her reams of homework every lesson, the same essays as the rest of the class plus another two or three that the class had already completed.  
  
With all the extra work and with Lucy now studying different things from Andrea, they didn't have time to explore the secret passage. They had all but forgotten about it when one night Lucy was studying her charms notes she came across an incantation to reveal hidden information or items.  
  
"Look at this" she said quietly to Andrea, "I wonder if that would reveal something in that room?"  
  
"Let's try it tonight," Andrea answered her eye's twinkling.  
  
"How are we going to get there at this time? Someone will see us leave the tower."  
  
"Not if we wait until their all in bed." Andrea said casually.  
  
"If we're caught, we're in big trouble. They could expel us!" whispered Lucy nervously.  
  
"They won't expel you; you're the top student in the school for heavens sake!" mocked Andrea. "Come on don't be chicken!"  
  
They waited until the rest of the students had left the common room and snuck out down to the passage which appeared to them as before, stumbling along in the darkness Lucy took out her wand cautiously and opened the door.  
  
As before they entered an empty darkened room, Lucy lit her wand and looked around. Glancing nervously at Andrea she muttered the incantation, half hoping that it wouldn't reveal anything and they could go back to their warm beds.  
  
The spell however worked and revealed another doorway, this one looked very old with a huge brass handle, and cautiously the girls moved forward and opened it. They found themselves staring down a dark, cold flight of stairs.  
  
They began slowly to go down the stairs; they were about 10 steps down when the heavy door slammed shut behind them. With a startled shriek Lucy tripped over Andrea who had stopped to look round at the door and they both tumbled painfully down the stone steps. As they lay in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the stairs they noticed that they had emerged in what looked like an anti-chamber with another door at the end. Through this door, which Lucy opened with a quiet word they found themselves, strangely enough in a very ornate bathroom?  
  
"Well" giggled Andrea, "the last thing I was expecting was a secret toilet"  
  
Lucy joined in with her giggling, then suddenly said "Sh, listen, I hear voices."  
  
The voices were coming from behind the only door in the room, "Where did the other door go?" said Andrea in a panicked voice.  
  
"It's behind that mirror, look there are hinges on the right side." Answered Lucy, as she slowly crept up to the door, to listen.  
  
"But how did they find them?" came the unmistakable voice of Professor McGonagall.  
  
"I have a few theories, but as yet I simply don't know" replied the voice of Dumbledore.  
  
"We have to get out of here" whispered Lucy.  
  
The words were no sooner out of her mouth when the door swung open and they were facing the two Professors.  
  
"Ladies, May I enquire what you are doing on in my private bathroom?" asked Dumbledore looking from one to the other.  
  
"How did they get in there in the first place?" added McGonagall.  
  
"As to that, it may answer our other question," said Dumbledore to McGonagall pointedly.  
  
"We. uh.we found this corridor that wasn't a corridor the next day and we were curious because that boy had been there so we went to investigate and Lucy found this enchantment and we thought we'd try it we didn't think there was any harm and we're sorry and we would never do it again, sir." Blurted out Andrea all in one breathe.  
  
McGonagall looked utterly confused when she said to Lucy "Perhaps you would like to try a more understandable version of events. Lucy took a deep breathe and told the story from the beginning starting from the scream and finishing there in Dumbledore's office.  
  
Dumbledore, who had sat down behind his desk to listen, didn't say anything for a few moments then raised his eye's and said "Curiosity is not a crime, indeed it is a very commendable attribute when exercised cautiously."  
  
McGonagall looked as surprised as the girls at this statement. He continued "the Slytherin student, do you know who he is?"  
  
"No sir, except that he is in 7th year" stammered Andrea.  
  
"Very well I think you should both go to bed now and I would ask you not to wander around the castle at night, it is not always safe"  
  
Lucy and Andrea were surprised to find themselves outside the Gryffindor statue that led to Dumbledore's office, as they headed to their dormitory; they tried to puzzle out what they had learned, if anything. Exhausted they both tumbled into bed and were soon fast asleep. 


	7. chapter 7

CHAPTER 7  
  
Next morning as they walked down to breakfast Lucy told Andrea her theory of what had happened. "I think that boy has been sneaking along that passage to eavesdrop on Dumbledore, to find out information, to give to someone else."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"I don't know, but it can't be anything good, can it?"  
  
Two days before the Easter Holidays they heard a rumour. A group of Voldemort's supporters had broken into the home of two Auror's and tortured them, hoping for information on where he was and what had happened to him.  
  
This sent waves of fear through the school, just when they had thought it safe to live normal lives again, the terror that was Voldemort's greatest gift to the society, returned. No-one knew yet who had committed the crime and their victims could not tell anyone anything.  
  
Andrea was certain that the Slytherin boy was somehow involved with it all, "Everyone knows that most of his supporters had been in Slytherin! I bet it was his parents or something."  
  
"That's a pretty strong accusation to make; besides we have no proof that the two things are even connected." Lucy answered.  
  
This did not worry Andrea who was now convinced they could solve the crime. She tried to talk Lucy into following him around the school hoping to catch him up to no good. "No way, we would definitely get in to trouble, besides Dumbledore knows about him now and he is much more likely to work it out than we are."  
  
Try as she might Andrea was unable to sway Lucy from her decision, Lucy argued that they had exams to study for and she herself had to sit two sets.  
  
Still one Saturday afternoon as they sat under a tree by the lake, with their books, enjoying the sunshine they saw the Slytherin boy look around and then disappear into the dark forest.  
  
"You know we could just see where he goes then go and get Dumbledore if it looks suspicious" reasoned Andrea.  
  
"I suppose your right." Said Lucy, more than a little curious to see where the boy was going.  
  
They crept round the side of the lake and entered the forest after the boy. The made their way through the trees trying to avoid tripping over the fallen trees. The forest got darker the further in they progressed, after about half an hour they still hadn't found the boy when Lucy signalled to Andrea to sit beside her for a rest on one of the trees. "He could have gone anywhere!" said Lucy in a miserable voice. "We could walk about for days and not find him."  
  
Sighing they got to their feet and decided to keep going in the same direction after several minutes they heard voices.  
  
Stopping behind a tree as close as they dared to the voices they peered through it trying to hear what was being said.  
  
"I told you Father, Dumbledore suspects me, obviously he knows you're my father and is not buying the story that you have seen the error of your ways!" said the Slytherin boy.  
  
"But he can't prove anything can he?" answered a tall thin blonde man, "truth be known he has mistrusted my since I was at school here myself."  
  
"What do you want me to do now?" asked the boy "He found out how I was listening to him and has sealed the passage way."  
  
"Did you find out where he sent the Potter boy?" the man spat out the name, as though it were a curse.  
  
"Maybe a clue, he was talking about a squib named Annabelle Figg or something, he bought her a house in Surrey somewhere," answered the boy, "but someone interrupted him and I couldn't get back to hear the rest."  
  
"That's not much to go on, squibs don't have to register with the ministry." Said the man thoughtfully, "no matter he can't hide him forever."  
  
As the girls listened they heard the couple speak about who had been arrested and who had been killed they mentioned someone called Barty several time and a Bella something.  
  
Just then Lucy sneezed and there was silence followed by an angry shout "over there Dad" and the two of them advanced on the girls.  
  
"What are you doing here?" The man demanded sharply.  
  
"We were just out walking," answered Andrea hopefully.  
  
"Walking? In the dark forest, students are not allowed in here."  
  
"What will we do with them father?" inquired the boy in a mock polite voice.  
  
"Leave them to me, you get back before you are all missed, I will speak to you later," ordered the man.  
  
"But father there..."  
  
"I gave you an order boy; do you think me incapable of taking care of two little girls?" interrupted the man.  
  
Without another word the boy turned and left.  
  
Lucy and Andrea exchanged a scared look, and then looked back at the man.  
  
"What are you going to do with us?" asked Lucy.  
  
The man just smiled a small smile and took out his wand slowly; Lucy who already had her wand hidden in her hand behind her back brought it out in front of her. This seemed to amuse the man as his smile broadened.  
  
Lucy tried desperately to recall any spell, or incantation that would help them. She stepped in front of Andrea as the man raised his wand, she muttered the word "protego" casting a protection spell on herself at the same moment the man shouted "AVADA KEDAVRA" the spell rebounded.  
  
There was a look of horror on the mans face he was standing to close to avoid being hit by the green light which hit him square on the chest he screamed in agony and fell to the ground.  
  
Both girls screamed in horror at the man's body lying very still on the forest floor. They turned and ran back through the forest.  
  
Lucy didn't know how much time they spent running and stumbling through the trees, tears pouring down her cheeks but eventually they emerged at the school grounds. They ran straight up the front steps and paused for a moment in the entrance hall not knowing where Professor Dumbledore was, dinner had already started so it was possible that he was in the great hall.  
  
In unison they pushed the doors open and several students near them dropped their cutlery in surprise. Dumbledore was sitting at the teachers table; he looked up as they stumbled towards him gasping.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore, Sir, a man in the forest he's dead.and.I." wept Lucy.  
  
"Come with me" said Dumbledore standing up cutting off anything further from either of them. 


	8. chapter 8

CHAPTER 8  
  
Dumbledore led them both through a door at the side of the teachers table. It led to a room with a large fireplace and several comfortable arm chairs, he indicated for them to sit close to the fire.  
  
"Now slowly Lucy, what has happened?" he asked kindly.  
  
Lucy took a deep breath and told the professor about following the boy and what they had heard but when she got to the part about the man casting a spell on her she jumped out of her chair and hide her face in shame.  
  
Andrea seemed to find her voice then "sir, Lucy shoved me behind her and as he said a spell, something like Abra cadabra, Lucy said another one at the same time and the green light shot out of his wand and bounced off Lucy hitting him, he screamed and fell over, he.he.wasn't moving sir, when we ran away."  
  
Dumbledore looked at Lucy and said "Avada kedavra?" and Lucy nodded, there was silence for a few seconds and eventually Lucy looked at Dumbledore then he said "Not many grown witches can summon a protection spell strong enough to repel that particular spell. Miss Sutton is lucky to have such a gifted friend. Sit here and drink these now I will return shortly" he waved his wand and two hot chocolates appeared on the table in front of them, and then left the room.  
  
"This is entirely my fault" wailed Andrea "my stupid idea to play detective could have gotten us both killed. I'm sorry Lucy."  
  
"You didn't kill that man I did all by my clever self." Lucy said bitterly.  
  
"Maybe he's not dead, maybe he's just knocked out." Andrea tried to console her.  
  
"Avada kedavra is the killing curse, one of the unforgivable curses, I didn't know that my protection spell would make it kill him instead of me. The reason they don't teach children as young as us it is because we're not ready to know it, I didn't understand the consequences until it was too late" said Lucy quietly.  
  
"On the contrary Miss Smith, the reason we don't teach children protection spells so early is that it is unlikely that they could work" came the voice of Dumbledore from the open door. "Knowing now the consequences would you not have used it?" he asked quietly.  
  
"No!" replied Lucy immediately "Then that man would still be alive."  
  
"And you, your friend, Arabella fig, Harry Potter and at least three others would be dead!" countered Dumbledore "but your conscience would be clear."  
  
Lucy had no answer to this. She said instead "I will go and pack my things."  
  
"Do you have somewhere more important to be?" inquired Dumbledore.  
  
"Well either a hearing or simply prison," answered Lucy miserably.  
  
"No child, no-one is charged for simply using a defensive spell; you have committed no crime, other than to go into the dark forest which is forbidden." Dumbledore said.  
  
"That was my fault" admitted Andrea in a small voice "I convinced her to come with me."  
  
"Then I will be taking 10 points from Ravenclaw for your lack of judgement Miss Sutton, however you should."  
  
Hagrid burst through the door interrupting whatever Dumbledore had been about to tell them." Sir, we found 'im sir, taken 'im to the infirmary, Poppy's working on 'im now sir!"  
  
Lucy and Andrea exchanged puzzled looks then focused again on Dumbledore, who was looking pleased. "Very good Hagrid, I shall go there immediately after I finish here, if you would be so kind as to escort the girls back to their dormitory after they have eaten."  
  
Dumbledore waved his wand again and two plates of steak pie and chips appeared on plates in front of them. "I want you to eat it all up then off to bed. Alright?"  
  
"But sir does this mean that the man is not dead?" asked Lucy, hardly daring to believe it.  
  
"Yes Miss Smith, it would appear so." Dumbledore left them alone with Hagrid who told them gruffly to eat up.  
  
They ate what they could and finally allowed Hagrid to lead them up to Ravenclaw tower. No-one was there and the girls, by silent agreement went straight to their dormitory and changed in silence for bed. Eventually they both drifted off to sleep but Lucy woke up at the sound of screaming a few hours later. She realized numbly that the screams had come from her and that she'd woken all the others up as they gathered around her bed with worried expressions on their faces. After she had assured them it had only been a dream they reluctantly left back to their own beds.  
  
Lucy lay awake, afraid to go back to sleep in case she saw the man's painful scream in her dreams again. By dawn she had convinced herself that she should leave Hogwarts, she had almost killed a man and it was because of magic. Her father had made the right choice when he had left. It was too dangerous, what they could do to each other in a few short seconds, then have a lifetime to regret it.  
  
Lucy sat subdued through breakfast the next morning, she couldn't see the boy at the Slytherin table, which somehow made her feel even worse, and she knew he was probably with his father in the infirmary. She didn't notice Dumbledore's shrewd eyes as he watched her, guessing what was going on in her mind.  
  
Her decision made she left the great hall and walked slowly to Professor Dumbledore's office, waiting for him to arrive. She didn't have long to wait and he silently led her inside.  
  
"Before you say anything Miss Smith I would like to tell you a few things," Dumbledore began. "Jeffery Jorgen is fine and is at present being questioned at the Ministry of Magic for his involvement with the Death- Eaters, he has already hinted that he might know who attacked the Longbottom's, the two Aurors tortured earlier this year. I believe his son used the corridor you discovered to eavesdrop on this very office; he discovered their whereabouts and almost the whereabouts of young Harry Potter and passed this information to his father, who in turn shared it with the death-eaters. Through yours and Miss Suttons actions a great many lives have been saved."  
  
"I know it is difficult for you to understand but a great many people are thankful to you" He continued, "But I fear that this is not enough and you came here to tell me you wished to leave."  
  
Lucy nodded her head "I don't think I like this magic world anymore, my father was right it is too dangerous. I could have killed someone!"  
  
"The fact that you didn't doesn't seem to give you much comfort but I would like to point out something to you. Even if you left school now and destroyed your wand you would still hold magic within you and at times when you are afraid or angry there is the chance that you would unknowingly use it" Said Dumbledore quietly "Only a fully trained strong wizard like your father could control it, that's why as a child things sometimes happened that you couldn't explain. Your father knows this it is one of the reasons he wanted you to come."  
  
Lucy could see the logic in this even if it brought her little comfort. "But how do I live with this?" she asked in a small voice "What if something like this were to happen again?"  
  
"You do exactly what you have been doing. You analyze your actions and see if there was someway you could change what happened, then when you realise that there was not, you move on" said Dumbledore. "You decide to be a good witch or a bad witch. You decide to try to help those around you or lead them to harm. You should also try to follow the school rules a little more closely perhaps," he smiled kindly at her.  
  
"Thank you sir, you are right. I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble."  
  
"Oh dear I do hope this experience is going to rob you of your splendid curiosity, life will be very boring indeed!" exclaimed Dumbledore laughter in his voice.  
  
"I'll try not to let it sir" Lucy smiled in reply. 


	9. chapter 9

CHAPTER 9  
  
The first year exams were to take place in the first week of June and the second years followed the week after. Lucy had no time for mischief as she had to take both set of exams which meant revising an amazing amount of information, however at the end of the fortnight Lucy was fairly sure she had done alright.  
  
The students would receive their results before they left for the summer; Lucy was called to Professor McGonagall's office early one evening and given a list of subjects to choose from for the next year.  
  
"You have done well enough in your exams that Dumbledore has decided to move you directly to 3rd year next year with a few exceptions, you will not be permitted to visit Hogsmeade village with the other 3rd years because I feel that you are not yet old enough."  
  
"Thank you Professor."  
  
"Be warned Lucy if you do not keep up with your chosen subjects, you will rejoin the 2nd year."  
  
"Yes Miss," Lucy was dismissed and she returned to the common room reading the list on the way."  
  
Dear Mum and Dad  
I have to choose my subjects before I leave for the summer  
what do you think about Arithmancy, Ancient runes and care  
of magical creatures? Love you lots and hope you can answer  
quickly thanks.  
Love Lucy X X X  
  
The next morning Lucy received a reply from home.  
  
Dear Lucy,  
We are looking forward to your home coming! The subject's  
you have chosen sound like the right choice for you, We  
hope you are behaving yourself we will meet your train in  
London love from Mum and Dad X X X  
  
Lucy was excited about going home, she would miss the castle and her friends especially Andrea, but it would be fun to be a normal 11 year old again for a while. And maybe for her birthday she could have a party! Lucy could barely take in all the events of the last few months and though pleased to have passed all her exams was still a bit bewildered at the end of term banquet. They were all given letter warning them not to use magic over the summer. "How could they know anyway?" asked Lucy. "Well all magic families are on a register and especially those who live in muggle areas are monitored, but say for instance your father is a wizard, well its very difficult to tell who's doing the magic isn't it" answered Andrea her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Honestly, your hopeless, you're a bad influence on me" laughed Lucy. "That's why we get on so well" replied Andrea happily. Next day all the students boarded the train to King's Cross for their summer holidays, Lucy was not alone in wondering how next year could possibly be any more exciting or strange as this year. The idea that only a year ago she had no idea anything like this was even possible made Lucy smile 


End file.
